Food Giants Costco & Sodexo Pledge to Offer Only Sustainable Seafood

Sodexo and Costco recently announced their commitment to improve the sustainability of the seafood that they sell and serve. Costco has placed a hold on selling over a dozen types of seafood until they can find a MSC certified option, and Sodexo plans for all of its contracted seafood to be certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) or the Global Aquaculture Alliance’s Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) by 2015.

Photo credit: S. Khan

Costco, the world’s ninth largest retailer, is holding off on selling Atlantic cod, Atlantic halibut, bluefin tuna, Chilean sea bass, Greenland halibut, grouper, monkfish, orange roughy, redfish, shark, swordfish, skates and rays. The company is also looking for sustainable options for its canned, fresh, and frozen tuna. Costco’s move toward sustainable products comes after eight months of pressure from Greenpeace for the company to stop selling unsustainable seafood.

As part of its Better Tomorrow sustainability plan, Sodexo, the $21 billion food service company, will review all wild caught and farm raised seafood purchases. It will also set short, medium, and long-term goals with its contracted seafood vendors.